House passes Alzheimer’s, dementia legislation

Monday

Feb 12, 2018 at 2:48 PMFeb 12, 2018 at 2:48 PM

State Rep. Claire Cronin, D-Easton, joined her colleagues in the House to pass legislation which establishes an Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Council. The bill also requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to conduct an assessment on existing state efforts and implement a state plan to address the disease. Representative Cronin was a co-sponsor of Alzheimer’s and dementia legislation in the House.

“Alzheimer’s and dementia affects so many residents and their families in our communities,” said Cronin, chairman of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. “I am proud that the House has taken steps to continue to address this public health crisis so we can better treat and care for those affected by this disease and provide resources for family members caring for their loved ones.”

There are currently 120,000 individuals in Massachusetts with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, and experts predict the prevalence of Alzheimer’s will increase 25 percent in the next decade. Currently, more than 300,000 people in Massachusetts act as caregivers to one these patients.

The legislation creates minimum-training standards for elder protective services social workers and establishes a continuing education requirement for medical professionals to improve the diagnosis, care, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

In an effort to strengthen a patient’s support network and improve communication, physicians will be granted increased flexibility when sharing medical information with a patient’s family throughout diagnosis and treatment. These changes operate within the existing legal framework of federal and state medical information privacy laws. The legislation also requires a new, one-time continuing education requirement for physicians, physician’s assistants, registered nurses, and practical nurses, which will include training in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Council, established in the legislation, will be required to meet quarterly and will provide EOHHS and the Legislature with recommendations on Alzheimer’s policy, an evaluation of state-funded research, care and programming, and any outcomes of such efforts. EOHHS will create an integrated state plan to facilitate the coordination of government efforts while ensuring that appropriate resources are maximized and leveraged.

The legislation requires hospitals to implement an operational plan for recognizing and managing individuals with dementia. Hospitals must complete and implement their operational plan by October 1, 2021, and provide the Department of Public Health with the plan as requested.